The servers have been spec'd and the parts ordered, the firewall / load balancer gear is here, and so today is Cable Making Day! (yeah, I know. Ugh.)

Mike's tips for making good cables --

1) don't skimp on the crimper. I learned this many years ago back at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and have been reminded over and over in the intervening years -- your cables are only as good as your connectors, and your connectors are only as good as your crimp. The secret to a good crimp is a **good** crimping tool. (Sorry, no radio shack el-cheapos here) Go for mass, go for heft.

2) no caffiene. You need a steady hand when dealing with tiny wires and small spaces over and over. Yes, I know this is a tough one (it's why we don't let Chris anywhere near the hardware). As soon as you're done, fire up the espresso!

3) good light. I didn't think my eyes were getting that bad, until I started building 25 cables....

4) be consistent. There are industry standard color patterns (white-green / green / white-orange / blue / white-blue / orange / white-brown / brown -- anybody remember if this is the "A" pattern or the "B" pattern?). Even if you don't follow the industry standard patterns, pick a pattern and use it in everything you do. That way, when someone runs a sawzall thru your cable (don't ask...) you can repair without having to repull...